Health Risks course from the EHLR Immer- sion Training. This training has a focus on building the capacity of community members to understand and communicate about envi- ronmental risks and health risks. Moreover, NEHA evaluated the EHLR Immersion pilot at Diné College. Based on this evaluation, combined with ongoing train- ing evaluation, we made further revisions to the EHLR Immersion Training. For example, we decided to include the prerequisite EHLR Basic Training module as a classroom exercise prior to the EHLR Immersion Training. In addition, we are developing case examples for use during interactive exercises that are cul- turally appropriate for specific audiences. Evaluations from the EHLR Basic and Immersion pilots provided valuable informa- tion about the overall effectiveness of the train- ing and participants’ self-perceived increase in skills and confidence to work in land reuse and general environmental health arenas. As part of the evaluation, ATSDR completed a long-term follow-up survey in August 2022, which indicated that the EHLR Basic Training, primarily in the asynchronous online modal- ity, remained an effective tool months after completion. Of 100 EHLR online Basic Train- ing participants, 22 completed the survey, as did 5 classroom participants. The results of the evaluation and of the long-term follow-up of the EHLR Trainings will be presented in the second and third articles in this series. Diné College Summer Intern Program 2022: EHLR Immersion Training Pilot After earning their certificates in the EHLR Basic Training at the NEHA 2022 AEC, the Diné SIP students completed a 3-day EHLR Immersion Training led by ATSDR and NEHA instructors at Tsaile Campus in Tsaile, Ari- zona. ATSDR and Diné College SIP faculty tailored the immersive training to incorporate tribal ecosystem knowledge, environmental research, brownfield site visits, a community health education fair and soilSHOP event, and a research project. Two students shared their research projects, inspired by the SIP and EHLR Immersion Training, for this case study: • Health Impacts of Uranium Mines on the Navajo Nation: Leorenda Begay researched health impacts of uranium mines on her Navajo community. Begay’s research ques- tion focused on uranium studies that have
FIGURE 2
Abandoned Uranium Mines On and Near the Navajo Nation
Note. The red dots represent abandoned uranium mines on and near the Navajo Nation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2024).
During the Tribal Lands & Environment Forum in August 2022, ATSDR provided a full-day EHLR Immersion Training for the Evaluating Environmental and Health Risks course. In total, 45 tribal environmental specialists attended the training, of which 20 opted for the certificate of completion in this module. In March 2023, ATSDR and NEHA trained 31 participants from community nonprofits, planning agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state environmen- tal agency, and Andrews University (public health undergraduate students and faculty). The training was hosted by three commu- nity nonprofits that focus on building com- munity capacity through community revital- ization projects.
Training up to 12 months post-training. The results of this survey will be discussed in the third article in this series. Outcomes of the EHLR Basic and Immersion Trainings From October 2020 to June 2023, the EHLR Online Basic Training hosted 2,500 partici- pants. The EHLR Basic Training continues to be popular in live and virtual conference ven- ues. Further, we provided classroom training at least 2–3 times per year from August 2019 to June 2023. Thus far, we have trained >500 tribal professionals, environmental health pro- fessionals, students, and community members. We have learned that individual training modules can be used for specific learning needs among our participants. As discussed previously, university partners have incorpo- rated the EHLR Online Basic Training into an environmental seminar and incorporated module 1 of the EHLR Basic Training to sup- plement public health learning about com- munity engagement. Community nonprofits in Benton Harbor, Michigan, requested to pilot the Communicating Environmental and
Long-Term Follow-Up for EHLR Basic
During spring 2022, ATSDR hosted a 9-ques- tion survey using the REDCap survey system (per the Paperwork Reduction Act Control Number 0923-0060) to assess the effective- ness of the 2020–2021 EHLR Online Basic
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June 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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